One Year Friendiversary

when i met alena joy dean exactly one year ago i was days away from a bad breakup and what would be the most emotional couple weeks of my life. i was already a mess from months of sickness and exhaustion, and what was left of me was about to get flipped on its head.

wow Jesus with the timing am i right?

i remember grinning at her from across the room and patting the open seat on the couch next to me. she then proceeded to raise her hands like a t-rex in front of her and prance across the room like a dinosaur. i actually said out loud that i thought id just watched myself walk towards me.

the 365 days of beautiful female friendship that fallowed that evening have added to my life in a way i can't even come close to explaining. we have laughed more than anyone should, prayed and wept together, laid on numerous floors, poured out our heartbreak and our joy, labored together, sung together, made countless funny faces, studied scripture, traveled to each of our parents houses, and so much more i could go on for a while and a half.

alena has crossed her eyes a lot, been adopted by my parents, laid on my bed when i couldn't get out of it, brought me a lot of gf muffins and coffee, taught me fun sayings and she was very mad at me once when we were running and i got too excited, she is the most like me I've ever met in a person and somehow totally different. We have been referred to as the conjoined twins and I'm not even mad about it.

I think we all know it when we meet a kindred spirit. That moment when we know we are from the same tribe, but it's all the moments afterwards that make me smile again and again. As my good friend Ben Rector says, (he is not actually my friend) "life is not the mountain tops, it's the walking in between and I like you walking next to me."

yes I know that was written to his wife but I'm going to sing it in a best friends scenario... I know in these years to come there will be plenty o' mountain top moments in our friendship, like going to the west coast together and obviously becoming famous for our hilarity. But those day to day moments, the ones where we write each other cards or hold each other's hands to pray, or maybe laugh really weird when we pass a cute boy. Those are the moments I'm looking forward to the most.

Alena, bird, beaver, pixiestick dean. Thanks for helping me through heartache, making me find joy, praying that we find husbands at the same time and telling me I'm pretty. You are everything a best friend should be. I'm so so so thankful Jesus brought you all the way to Tennessee so I could know you. happy friendiversary.

Hi, i'm abbey!

i'm a wedding photographer who likes to carry my camera around in my purse. i love to travel & drink (decaf) coffee, eat donuts from all around this beautiful country, and make new friends. i would love to know you so pretty please say hi.

“we had the most wonderful time that we couldn’t go back to our regular lives, and so we decided we just wouldn’t. and then all the greatness began."